The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1887-02-18

control. has removed the bugbear OF q
surplus In the treasury BY voting II away
In pemsions. Ia fact II the Service" bill
Is sianed BY the President II 10 possible,
and probable, that taxes will have to be
IN creased instead OF diminished, and that
there will be deficit in lieu Of SUR
plus IN the treasury.
In figuring on the subject of pensions
q New York paper gives Rn account OF
an old pension act somewhat similar tol
the present bill:
I In 1917, President Madison brought
the case OF the survivors Of the Revolu-
tionary war to the attention Of Congress
i'm bis annual message "Most Of these
Imeritorious citizens" he said, ''hsve paid
the debt OF nature and gone TO repose
liz is believed that among the survivors
there are some not provided tor BY exist
ing laws who are reduced TO Indulgence
and even to real distress. These men
have claim on the gratitude Of their
country, and il will do honor 70 their
country to provide for them. The lapse
Iof few years more and the opportunity
|. will be forever lost; indeed, 60 long a.
ready has been the interval that theI
number to be benefited BY any provi-l
. sion which may be made will not bel
great"
suggestion. Joaeph Bloomfield, who
came out Of the Revolutionary war with
!. the rank OF major, was then IN the house
Of representatives., aud the speaker made
him chairman of the committee on Rev
/, olutionary pensions. In due time he re-
ported bill in accordance with the
! Presidents recommendation. aud u
passed Congress with but little opposi-
. lion. Ii provided that any person who
served nine months in the Revolution
larry army, "who Is, or hereafter BY rea-
!. son Of his reduced circumstances IN life
. shall be, in need OF sssistance from his
] country for support" should receive .
1 pension during the remainder Of his iils
.. .of t2s per month Il an officer and Of So
/. per month II a soldier.
. In advocating the passage Of the bill
: Mr.. Bloomfield submitted very careful
. and altogether plausible estimate Of the
4 number OF persons Who would be entitled
= 10 receive pensions under its provisions,
1. aud Of the annual charge npon The treas
ury. He stated from pcrsonal knowi-
= edge that OF the 100 officers who served
= IN the New jersey brigade during the
= Revolution only 20 were living, or jus
one-eiah,h. Taking this As the propnr
= tion Of survivors among the officers o
!, the entire army, he found the number 4
Al bc $40, of whom he supposed that one
"a tcnih might receive pensions. amounting
" In all 10 t5,l6O year. As 10 men. b
u said that there were SO battalions IN IN
service, and IL was well known fac
vo that at the close Of the war battalion
m did not average more than 35O men each
~ making 1000 in all. AS the death rat,
A. was probably higher among the enlisted
- men than among the officers, he eslina
"a ted that about one-tenth, or LOO, wer'
n still living. lie supposed that one-fiftl
D. OF this number, or $40 persons, might 90
al tain pensions, and the annual charge Of
ve their account would be &S2.64O The 70
tai charge at the beginning would b
- $40 500 . ycar-"an amount which mus
il daily decrease"
OF There was nothing hose about thi
en estimate. Il was based on persoua
us knowledge, and seemed altogether prob
ID able. But what was the actual result
IN No sooner bad the bill become Law
id than applications for its benefit began 4
Ist ,pour in by thousands. Mr. Bloomfield
estimated that less than 10000 officer
and men who served In the Revolution
lary war were alive ct its close; bn
within two years after the passage OF th
act no less than 2s.555 persons had ap
q, piled. and certificates had been grantes
\" 10 1920. or nearly as many as NJ
4, u Bloomfield supposed TO Be living thirty
- =. ak years before. II was really surpria
:, ing what great number OF the old col
= dliers were still living, and what . larg
:. " proportion Of them were IN reduces
y. - circumstances" and lin need Of assis
- - tance from their country for support.'
asI Everyone who had served nine month
no or nine days, and thousands who hs'
m never served day attempted TO eatab
90 lieh claim to life annuity. Men o.
,m signed their property to relatives an
4 friends IN order to make themselves %
,er parentIy dependent; "persons suppose
a. 70 Be worth $40. 600 or go, 600 have mad
ne themselves out to he paupess," sai
X Niles' Register, IN 1919. 'and Il was late
llv Ily announced IN New York paper thu
~ certain pensioner had deposited III
,ye whole amount Of his pension In th
the savinRs bank Instead OF S40600 ~
~ nually, the measure cost 81, ,647, ,9OO th
me firet wear. and a2 zee, ,44O the eecond, Z
Eht 81 times the estimate. Should the bi
&C lately pasaed overrun the loose estimate
her that have been made in this ratio it woul
hat cost over $500, 100000 year.
not What the probabilities are one @
rel hardly venture to say. Some things q
clear enough. The act Of 1878 wss pas
led thirty-hvc years after the close Of Il
H. Revolutionary war: IL ID now hut tive
20, ty-fve years since the close Of the war
S6 the rebellion. The proportion Of surv
on. vors. therefore, mustVbe greater now thi
Of Il wae 10 1918. We know, too, that q
,64. oct Of 1887 u quite a. hose IN its pr
is visions @ was that Of 1919. Finally. '
l3; know that human nature has not nude
Crisl gone . radical change during the ~
seventy years. The survivors Of our y
war are not supposed 70 be more "mc